RAVE Coffee has announced a £1 million investment in a new headquarters in its home town of Cirencester that includes not just a roastery but a 45-seater café.
The fast-growing former Love Lane-based brand, founded by Vikki and Rob Hodge in 2011, says its new 10,000 square foot industrial unit on Phoenix Way will accommodate its next 10 years of growth.
Despite UK ecommerce dropping by a record 10.5 per cent in 2022, RAVE achieved a 22 per cent increase in turnover over the same period, which the independent Gloucestershire roastery says gave it the confidence to push ahead with its ambitious expansion plans.
‘This is a big moment for RAVE and many years in the works, finally bringing product development, production, packing and fulfilment back under one roof,' said Vikki Hodge, whose business now employs 38 staff, including newly appointed head of coffee, Ashlee Eastwood-Quinn, a Coffee Quality Institute certified Q Grader.
'The new RAVE HQ opens up so many possibilities, including new product development, greener production and more employment opportunities, and we can’t wait to welcome more locals into our 45-cover café.
‘It’s been an incredible journey so far and our new home feels like the perfect space for RAVE to grow and take the community along with us.’
According to the firm, the £1 million investment was ‘funded significantly by a notable increase in sales of its Coffee Club subscription service’, which saw member numbers rise by more than 60 per cent in 2023.
Charlton Kings-based construction company Dryfesdale Construction Ltd, along with fellow county firms PSK Plumbing and Cotswold Electricians, spent five months transforming the former Christian Brann building, which has been derelict for the last 15 years, into a multifunctional space for the brand.
The building now houses RAVE’s new Loring 70 kilogram roaster, its existing 35 kilogram Loring roaster, all its operations and offices, as well as a cupping room and coffee laboratory.
Huge windows in the café allow visitors to see their coffee go all the way from green bean to cup, while an eco-friendly refill station helps customers reduce waste as they top up on the freshest coffee around.
RAVE Coffee's new roastery and café opens to the public on Tuesday 2 May 2023.
